“Oh, I’ll get a cloth. You’ve stained your hands.”
There was a faint pink blush on his right palm. Just the sweat from his hand was enough to have leached the cheap dye out of the cover of the bible and leave a telltale mark.
“Did Rachel have any stains on her hands, do you know?” he asked.
Minta looked puzzled. “I don’t know. No one mentioned it.”
Lewis was sure that she hadn’t. Sarah hadn’t, and neither the doctor nor the constable had listed it in the details of the evidence they had found.
“Don’t worry about Seth,” he said to Minta as he left. “I’m sure that wherever he was, it wasn’t here. Pray to the Lord to forgive you for lying, but I’m sure there’s no real harm done on your part.”
He hoped that what he said was true. For he knew now, with no doubt whatsoever, that Rachel had been murdered.
Part II
Elizabethtown 1838
I
The Quarterly Board Meeting was being held in Belleville. One of the tasks of this august board was to appoint ministers to their respective circuits. The Methodist Episcopal Church seemed to have a policy of moving their ministers as often as possible, but Lewis had been on the Hallowell Circuit for only a few months and was expecting to stay there for at least two years.
But because of the union with the Wesleyans, they had lost many of their numbers, most of the ministers willing to accept the merger for the time being. The truth was, they were desperately short of preachers, so Lewis shouldn’t have been surprised when he was asked to move to the Elizabethtown Circuit. He just didn’t know how he was going to break the news to Betsy. He sometimes wondered at the wisdom of this policy of constantly moving ministers around. It seemed that he only just got to know the people on a circuit when he would have to say goodbye and start again. On the other hand, if you were an itinerant who stuck with the life, you eventually got to know a wide area and nearly every Methodist in it. Leeds wouldn’t be so bad; he had been there before.
There were several applications for appointment from those wishing to be received on trial. Three of the applicants had fine qualifications, and were quickly accepted and posted, but two of them, including Morgan Spicer, were obviously lacking in the necessary education and knowledge.
Lewis was asked for his advice regarding Spicer. To his surprise, he discovered that the boy had claimed his sponsorship and that the application stated that he had been encouraged to become a minister.
Lewis didn’t want to baldly call Spicer a liar, but he couldn’t let the erroneous impression stand, either. He chose his words carefully.
“Mr. Spicer came to me when he first decided that he had heard a calling. I suggested to him that he needed to make a careful case before the board, and that if there were deficiencies in his knowledge and understanding, that he would be wise to address those first.”
One of the elders shoved a grubby-looking piece of paper across the table at him. Lewis could barely read the untidy scrawl of words that spilled across the page, but was able to make out the words “T. Lewis was most enthoosiastik about my applcation and asured me that their was no dout I ould be acepted.”
Scanning the rest of the missive, he realized that to all intents and purposes Spicer was illiterate. There was nothing he could do but set the record straight. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I did not encourage Mr. Spicer and I certainly did not lead him to believe that his appointment was a foregone conclusion.” In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought to himself. He went on. “In fact, I have severe reservations about the sincerity of Spicer’s intentions.”
The elder looked mollified. He can’t honestly have believed that I would have proceeded in that way, Lewis thought, speaking on behalf of the organizing body without the authority to do so? Apparently he had thought just that. Lewis felt the offence of it, but told himself to calm down. Things were upset enough within the Church without him adding to the turmoil.
“I think we’re agreed, gentlemen, that we need not even proceed to the interview stage with this application,” another elder said.
The others agreed. “Perhaps, Mr. Lewis, you could save us all some time and trouble by informing the applicant yourself?”
Lewis’s heart sank. So they did believe the worst of him. “I can prepare him for the news, but I believe that it is the duty of the Board to notify him in writing.”
“Of course, of course, we’ll do that. I just hope he’ll be capable of reading the letter.” There was a little snigger around the table at this. Again Lewis took offence, this time on Spicer’s behalf. It was true that the boy was in no way fit to be a preacher, but the arrogance shown in his dismissal nettled him.
Spicer was waiting for him when he returned home. He hadn’t even reached his door when the young man came striding along.
“Well?” he asked. “When do I start? Where are they sending me?”
“You’ll be notified officially, Morgan, but in all fairness I have to tell you that they were paying close attention to the applicants’ qualifications, and I’m afraid you fell a little short in that department.”
“Are you telling me they turned me down?”
“For the time being, yes.”
“But why? All I want to do is to serve the Lord. Why won’t they let me?” Morgan’s weaselly face was twisted, set in obstinate denial. His scowl did little to improve the unfortunate composition of his features.
“Listen, Morgan.” He chose his words the best he could to try to calm the young man down. “The Church has to be very careful these days. Our people are being accused of all sorts of things, from ignorance to downright treason. They have to make sure that everyone associated with the Church is of the highest calibre possible, in order to offset these accusations. They felt that some of your skills are a little lacking.”
“And what else did they say? I know there’s more.”
“They weren’t entirely sure of the sincerity of your intentions. It has been such a short period of time, you see, since you heard the call. They felt that you need to demonstrate your commitment a while longer before they can consider your application.”
The boy’s eyes filled with tears. “How could they say that? You were there. You saw it happen, the day I was filled with the blessed presence of my Saviour. You could tell them they’re mistaken.”
“No, Morgan, I couldn’t. Not in all conscience.”
“Why not? You mean you don’t believe me either? Well, I’ll tell you something Mr. Lewis, I’ll tell you what I think!” he was shouting now. “I think you’re all jealous. I think you’re all afraid I’ll show you all up. That’s why you won’t appoint me!”
Lewis began to understand why Rachel had used the word pest. Spicer appeared to be one of those wretched people who can never admit to their own shortcomings, but must find an external excuse for them, no matter how far-fetched and ridiculous the rationalizations might be. Whatever happened to these people was never their own fault, but the result of some malign external force.
“Listen,” Lewis said, “this isn’t the end of it, you know. You can apply again. You should sit down and think about what I’ve said, and try to do something to remedy the situation. You should find the necessary books and study them. You need to show constant desire to serve the Lord. You need to prove yourself to them.”
“I don’t need to prove myself to anybody! I’m just as good as any of you are. You’ll see!”
As he watched the pathetic little figure stomp away, Lewis had no real expectation